Meals for Young Cooks

By Winnifred and Ann Jardine

Tips for Young Cooks

Five things to know about an avocado:

1. It is a fruit.

2. Some avocados have a smooth green skin and others have a bumpy black skin. The inside, when ripe, is rich and smooth and green with a large stone in the center.

3. To find out if an avocado is ripe enough to eat, hold it in the palm of your hand and gently squeeze. If it is soft, it is ripe. Avocados in the store are often hard, but will soften in a few days if kept at room temperature.

4. The easiest way to peel an avocado is to cut it in half lengthwise, remove stone, and peel each half. Cut or sliced avocados discolor unless brushed or mashed with lemon juice.

5. Avocados are delicious when sliced and served with grapefruit, orange, or tomato sections. Guacamole is made from avocados and is delicious as a dip or spread.

Guacamole-Stuffed Celery

5 stalks celery

2 ripe avocados

2 teaspoons grated onion

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1. Wash celery, pat dry with paper towel, and cut into 3″ lengths.

2. Cut avocados in half lengthwise, remove stone, and peel.

3. Mash avocados with fork. Mix in onion, lemon juice, salt, and mayonnaise.

4. With knife, stuff celery pieces with guacamole. Cover lightly with waxed paper and chill until time to serve.

Tortilla Bake

12 corn tortillas

1 pound ground beef

3/4 pound (3 cups, grated) cheddar cheese

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (20-ounce) can kidney beans, drained

2 (16-ounce) cans tomato sauce

1. Cook hamburger and onion in skillet over medium heat until pink color is cooked from hamburger. Remove from heat.

2. Grate cheese. Open cans of tomato sauce and beans.

3. Lay 4 tortillas overlapping in bottom of 9″ x 12″ baking dish. Spread one-third of hamburger on tortillas, then top with one-third of drained beans. Sprinkle with 1 cup grated cheese and top with 1 cup tomato sauce.

4. Repeat layers, using 4 more tortillas, half of remaining ground beef and beans, then 1 cup cheese and 1 cup tomato sauce.

5. Repeat again, using remaining tortillas, beef, beans, and cheese. Top with remaining tomato sauce.

6. Bake at 325° F. for 30 minutes.

Ruby Grapefruit

2 (16-ounce) cans grapefruit sections

1 (10-ounce) package frozen raspberries

2 tablespoons sugar

1. Chill grapefruit.

2. Set package of frozen raspberries into pan of hot water for a few minutes. Empty raspberries into small saucepan. Add sugar and heat.

3. Put raspberries into blender and puree. Strain raspberries, pressing fruit through strainer. Chill.

4. Drain juice from grapefruit sections and save to drink as juice.

5. Arrange 5 or 6 grapefruit sections on each dessert dish and top with chilled raspberry sauce.

Illustrated by Parry Merkley